The Recycle Bin

Sunday, November 20, 2011, was very much a historic day as one of my top three favorite NASCAR drivers, Tony Stewart, became a three time Champion. I think it is pretty amazing that an owner/driver (Stewart-Hass racing) was able to achieve this accomplishment.

Stewart’s Homestead-Miami Speedway victory and Championship drive was even more amazing considering Stewart apparently fired his crew chief Darian Grubb earlier in the Chase (Charlotte Motor Speedway).

If this was not going to be Jeff Gordan’s year, then Stewart was a great replacement for 5-time Champion Jimmy Johnson.

L.A. Galaxy
Completely switching gears, not to be out done, the L.A. Galaxy finally managed to get that elusive Championship that seemed so automatic after the David Beckham signing in 2007; it just so happens to be Championship number three for the Galaxy.

With no regional MLS teams to cheer for, I keep my interest playing as and along with (in various FIFA games for the PS3) Donovan, thus the Galaxy connection.

I have been trying to figure out if last week’s announcement that the MLS will move to NBC (really Versus Network, which will become NBC Sports Network on Jan 2, 2012) will really push the MLS (and U.S. Soccer) forward.

The best I can tell is that the MLS is anticipating a huge marketing banana as result of the larger NBC Sports coverage of the 2012 Olympics. I’m never one to call hoping a decent strategy!

Versus Network in and of itself has been a death sentence for the IRL.

IndyCar’s ratings, while still a long way from NASCAR’s, for example, recently resulted in its three most-watched races on Versus this summer (Texas, Toronto and Edmonton), though all of those ratings points were less than 1.0, which represents 1.1 million households.

The rebranding of Versus should make the channel–which some have complained is too obscure and difficult to find, especially for casual fans–much more of a household name. IndyCar certainly hopes some of that expanded recognition will rub off on it.

There we go with that hopeful thing again. The top three IRL races on Versus have netted a total of 3.3 million viewers. Wow; let’s be honest, those number suck.

I agree that moving to the NBC brand will be better for the MLS, but to me it seems like the MLS would have tried to go all in with ESPN.

Did it really take the U.S. a full half and then some to get their first shot on goal against Mexico? I didn’t expect miracles the first match out with Jurgen Klinsmann leading the way, but I was expecting the U.S. to show off a more attacking approach based on the buildup to this not so “friendly” with bitter archrival Mexico.

Instead, the U.S. was adrift; playing on its collective heals until the final 25 minutes before managing the equalizer. 1-1 sure does look better than 1-nil.

Mostly, the U.S. walked away with a draw in which it actually had the bulk of chances because Mexico didn’t look sufficiently perturbed by the score line to actually do something about it.

Agree. In fact, while the US may have been missing its full complement of players (i.e. Dempsey), Mexico certainly didn’t bring its A game to Philadelphia.

Yet much that ails this team is still far from resolved. Mexico eventually began running through the lines, tapping the U.S. into oblivion and picking it apart like it had in June, destroying the Yanks in the possession department. It was only the U.S.’s sturdy play in the middle and El Tri’s inability to connect with a forward through the middle that kept the scoring floodgates from opening. Not until Mexico tired in the final 20 minutes did the U.S. start producing on offense, when young forwards Robbie Rogers, Juan Agudelo and Brek Shea created problems for Mexico with their movement. Before then, however, the U.S. had mustered nothing of consequence on offense, establishing a presence neither on the wings, through the middle nor at center forward.

The bad is still bad; defensive play is shaky at best, and no real attacking threat. The U.S. now has a tendency to exhibit miraculous, tenacious spurts of attacking, which is nice until you analyze and consider that the opposition is either digging in, waiting to sting the U.S. via a counter. Or in the case of Mexico, not pissed off enough to take the game back.

The good news is that we have some young talent (Juan Agudelo, Brek Shea, Robbie Rogers) that made a difference in the second half, but I temper that by saying how much did Mexico care at that point in the game? Agudelo can only get better; needs to not be so feather light getting position. I hope in the upcoming September matches, we get to see more of Shea and what he can bring to the team. Rogers? I’ll be honest, I do not know much about him, but was pleased to see him immediately go over to Shea and congratulate (thank) him on the open net assist. It looks like Rogers may also bring some much needed speed to the pitch. It should be fun to see how these guys develop.

The ratings always tickle me because sometimes they are so arbitrary; everyone sees the game differently. I thought Jermaine Jones was useless, and that Landon Donovan played a solid game on offense, defense, in transition, and servicing the ball into the box.

D Carlos Bocanegra, 7.5: The captain is still completely irreplaceable in the middle of the U.S. defense. He had another strong game and was caught out just once by Rafa Marquez.

Agree. Major concern over the buildup to World Cup qualifying next year has to be shoring up the defense and finding the eventual replacement for Bocanegra. At some point age will catch up with him. It always does.

I really shouldn’t be bitter because the better team won. Mexico was faster, more explosive off the ball, and faster.  Did I say faster?  Mexico’s speed was an amazing contrast to just how slow our backfield (and pretty much everyone on the field) is in comparison.

On this day, and really until some significant changes occur within the U.S. program, this Mexico squad will be the superior CONCACAF team for the next World Cup buildup.

Going down 2-0 just pissed Mexico off, although I was going nuts in my living room, in stark contrast to the crap ‘home field’ advantage of playing in front of a pro Mexico crowd in the Rose Bowl.

I never expected the game to start like it did; I was just praying that we could hold the game in check for the first 15 minutes, settle down, and maybe get a chance. Instead, Mexico scored two in a row two times. After four straight goals it was more or less apparent that the U.S. has a long way to go.

Shades of the last Confederations Cup. Only this time we did not wait until the second half to let our opponent back into the game.

So what went wrong? Defense; lack of speed and closing ability. Losing one defender shouldn’t spell complete doom.

Defender Steve Cherundolo, who had played every minute of the Gold Cup for the United States, sprained his left ankle and left in the 11th minute. His disappearance seemed to take some of the focus out of the United States defense.

Are you f’ing kidding me? That is the understatement of the year. I like how Cherundolo has played (plus Cherrrrunnndoloooo just rolls of the tongue), and while I have not written about his consistent play, I had no idea how much he mattered to our shaky defense. Once he was out, it was really all she wrote.

It is not as if Cherundolo would be warming the bench of any major club teams, so it is sad to see such a shocking drop off in his sub. I wonder what the thought process was in bringing in Bornstein? Seriously; WTF was Bornstein doing out there? He was awful, as was the rest of the line and defensive midfield.

Bitter? Yes, but I should not have been, because in my heart of hearts, I knew this U.S. team was flawed, and will continue to be until we see some major changes.

This is (obviously) one of those games where I think I put my heart more into things than looking at the palpable facts. The U.S. may have made it to the finals by an undesired path, but they are in the Gold Cup final, which was what was expected of this team. Can they win?

Of course I want the U.S. to win, and while some improvements were made over Jamaica and Panama, I just see this team lacking in too many key areas. I have written too much of late about the lack of finishing ability and lapses on defense that cannot be allowed on a top International contender. I think Mexico will expose our defense, but there could be some hope.

The one lingering thought in the back of my mind is that at some point the U.S. has to start getting some luck and actually putting the ball the net. If quality chances continue, it is bound to happen sooner or later, right?

The other hope (and it is probably little more than a false hope) is that Mexico is tired after having to advance by going to extra time against Honduras. If the U.S. actually has fresher legs, and if they can avoid some of their historically stupid blunders to start the game (and the opening minutes of the second half), Team U.S.A. could have a decent chance to win the Gold Cup.

I just think they will have to play the perfect game, which is not really a good go in strategy. It is hugely unfortunate that the finals will be in the Rose Bowl; the crowed will be hostile towards the U.S.

Of course I want the U.S. to win, but do I expect them to win? Honestly, it is hard to say, even after spending the last few minutes asking the same question. I think the U.S. does have a chance, but they do have to control the pace, finish, and not have any horrendous gaffs.

Go U.S.A!

This time the stakes are much higher, as the winner of tonight’s matchup will face the Mexico/Honduras winner in Saturday night’s Gold Cup final.

Can the U.S. recover from their earlier disappointment at the hands of Panama? While the U.S. are favored to advance, I am not sure if this is because we are on home soil or if it is because we should actually win. Maybe both.

I think the U.S. can and should win, but of course they have to look closer to the Jamaica game instead of the previous defeat to Panama. As always, the keys have to be solid defense, and the ability to actually finish. Hopefully Donovan will be in full form and decide to attack!

It stinks that I would even have to write this, but I hope that the Houston crowd actually favors the U.S. and does not give us the appearance of a neutral crowd.  These days you just never know.  Because of the nature of America, I wonder if we will ever see a day when we will not have to worry about split nationalities (loyalties of immigrants and second generation Americans <i>seem</i> to always reside with their home country).

A win would be a nice little birthday present for my middle son, who turns 9 today. Wishing him a happy birthday, and for the U.S. to bring home a victory

U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!

Despite taking care of Jamaica 2-nil, I am still somewhat worried as the U.S. now prepares for a Wednesday night match up in Houston, TX against the winner of El Salvador – Panama.

At what point will the U.S. learn to finish? I was going to post this a few days ago after our Guadeloupe escape, but I was just too down on our play to bother posting another in a series of “negative” Team U.S.A. posts.

While Guadeloupe goalkeeper Franck Grandel delivered a string of impressive saves, the U.S. was also guilty of some shocking misses that bordered on the comical, none more so than Clint Dempsey’s blown chance in the 76th minute. Presented with a simple tap-in after being set up brilliantly by Alejandro Bedoya, Dempsey’s casual attitude allowed an opposition defender to recover and block his shot.

…

The U.S. will likely trot out the old, “Well, at least we’re creating chances” bromide, but that won’t fool anyone. Instead, it will only reinforce the perception that something is missing from the U.S. side in this Gold Cup. Granted, on the one hand, the U.S. can comfort itself by the fact that it has survived the group stage playing far short of its best. And by finishing second as opposed to third, it managed to avoid facing Mexico in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, the Americans’ complete lack of a killer instinct is troubling, as is their tendency to play down to the level of their opposition. And that will simply not be good enough against a Jamaica side that looks to be well-organized and more than athletic enough to compete with the U.S.

I think it still stands, only this time Dempsey figured out how to reach the back of the net, and will have to do so again Wednesday night if Jozy Altidore’s injury (hamstring?) proves to be Gold Cup Tournament ending.

On the bright side (other than the win of course) was the switch to a 4-5-1 formation, which either kept Jamaica on the defensive most of the game or maybe caught them completely off guard. Either way, I loved that we came out attacking; just have to be able to finish!

Jamaica’s Donovan Ricketts (of MLS LA Galaxy fame – I thought it was cool that my soon to be nine-year old son called that out right away due to his MLS card collection) kept the U.S. at bay time and again with some quality saves, which really reminded me of how the U.S. has managed to do so well in International play over the last 10-15 years. A great keeper can really compensate of multiple problem areas on the pitch.

It will be interesting to see how the U.S. approaches Wednesday night’s game, regardless of the opponent.

Go U.S.A.!!!

I decided there was no reason to write about America’s 2-0 opening Group Play Gold Cup victory over Canada because, well, it was Canada. No disrespect to our neighbors to the North, but Canada is not exactly the benchmark the U.S. should hold its soccer program up to in order to measure progress and ability.

I could say the same thing about Panama, but last night’s humiliating 2-1 defeat showed that the U.S. continues to have so many holes and cracks to fill that our time may never come. Seriously. How many times can we write about piss-poor starts in the first half?

It is a recurring story. The defense cannot close holes and shut down gaps. Lord knows Tim Ream’s inexperience and a total lack of awareness (I was going to say judgment, but that would be too harsh) cost us a penalty. With the exception of the always attacking Dempsey, the midfield is not able to contain, control possession, and readily counter. Finishing? Nope; we can’t do that either have ever suffered from not having a world class striker.

Losing 2-1 was bad enough, but it was the way we lost. In the first half we looked like we were dazed and confused. The second half was much better; we had plenty of chances, but could only manage to put the ball in the net on a single set play. How much of the U.S.’s second half effort and ability to look like they were constantly on the attack can be attributed to Panama going up 2-0 in the first half? In other words, when the U.S. finally did start to look impressive, how much of that was because Panama dictated the game?

Unfortunately the Panama game thought us that the U.S. nowhere near ‘breaking’ through and pushing forward as a soccer nation.

The obvious lesson to be learned from this game is that the U.S. needs to start matches better, but it’s a lesson that was also obvious at last year’s World Cup. Indeed, it’s something the Americans have been guilty of countless times in Bob Bradley’s tenure. It calls into question just how effective he and the senior players are in getting the team prepared to play.

Every time I watch this team I hope to see improvement on the pitch, especially on defense and closing ability; it is just not there. You have to ask, why is this the case, and when will it come? You can look for singular examples, and point to some recent remarkable (call it lucky) tournament play. Some will argue that you make your own luck, and I actually agree with that point of view.

For the U.S., tournament-to-tournament improvement is just not showing on the pitch, which can easily be expressed in the last 25 minutes last night; too little, too late.

The U.S. National hosted Spain with great fanfare; over 60K in attendance in New England to watch Team USA warm up for their Gold Cup. Too bad no one reminded Spain this was a ‘friendly’ because Spain just totally kicked the snot out of our National team, exacting revenge over a 2-0 loss to the U.S. in the 2009 Confederation Cup.

Actually there is revenge, and then there is 100% humiliation, which is what happened to the U.S. I did not get to watch the game due to other commitments; however I did watch some highlights and read some commentary. Not pretty.

I understand that the U.S. ‘rested’ some players, but when your only noteworthy highlight, is almost having a ‘chance’ there are serious troubles afoot in the kitchen.

The U.S. team took advantage of their fresh legs and increased its possession during the second half. The veterans made an impact on the game and nearly created a goal in the 70th minute. A streaking Sacha Kljestan got behind the Spanish defense, but Joan Capdevila caught up to him and slowed him down. He cut the ball back from just outside the box for Dempsey, who had continued his run straight down the center of the field, but lost his footing while trying to control the pass and the defense was able to clear.

Tim Howard wore the Captain’s band, and while the 4-0 spanking was not his fault (continued piss poor defense and sloppy midfield play are major culprits), I don’t really agree with the ‘brave’ face he tried to spin after the game.

“When you get knocked down, you see what you’re made of,” Howard said Saturday after World Cup champion Spain overwhelmed the U.S. 4-0 in an exhibition that the Americans used to tune up for the Gold Cup. “I put it behind me. I’ve been at this a while. When you play the best team in the world, they can make you look silly at times.

Silly? U.S. should have went into this one attempting to earn a hard-fought draw, but realistically expecting to come up short; 2-0 or perhaps 2-1. 4-0 never crossed my mind as a possibility.

Howard is right on one account,

“We got our butts kicked,” Howard said afterward, adding with a smile. “If we win the Gold Cup in a couple of weeks, nobody will remember this.”

In a couple of weeks I hope we are talking Gold Cup champions, and not ‘what is wrong with U.S. soccer’ – because we already know the answers. The U.S. lacks creativity up front. Quality world class strikers are few and far between, but one would think the U.S. would be able to produce a top notch striker that would be the envy of the top European Club teams. The midfield at times shows lapses in judgment; too slow to get back on defense and not cohesive enough to maintain possession. The defense is just old and slow; it is time to move on with a backline that can hold their own and assist with a counter attack.

If you think I am down on this team, I am and have been for a while. I always surprised when they manage a good result because it often seems more due to luck. Of course I am still a big fan, and want to be proven wrong.

Everyone keeps waiting for the U.S. to take the next step, and instead we keep bailing water out of the boat.

How disappointing. Yes, as the announcers said, this US team should not hang its head in shame; hold ‘em high boys. Still. What could have been?

Once again the US went down early; this time inside of the 5 minute mark. I just do not get how we can have such poor defensive lapses, which is what happened again on the winner in the first few minutes of extra time as Ghana easily split the last two US defenders.

Making matters worse is that the US just does not have a top notch striker; a finisher who can consistently find the net. We had some chances, but there comes a time and a place where the chances have to find the back of the net. The US just does not have that quality up front that you know given the chance will win the day.

I am not sure where to from here. I’ll have to reflect on the bitter sting of this one for a while, as I am sure Team USA will be doing the same, with the realization that they squandered a golden opportunity.

So this is it. Semifinals or bust. Ah, but first Ghana, a team that ruined the US in the 2006 World Cup.

In the 2006 World Cup, after finishing top of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group E along with the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana. Since three of the teams were ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings at the time, it was considered a Group of Death.

The United States opened its tournament with a 3–0 loss to the Czech Republic. The team then drew 1–1 against Italy (ending up being the only opponent the Italian side failed to defeat in the tournament). The United States was then knocked out of the tournament when beaten 2–1 by Ghana in its final group match.

This time things are different, right? The US is playing well as a team, which was really the talk most often while I was in England and Scotland earlier this week. Of course, for the most part the US and our chances were dismissed, however to a man almost everyone I spoke “football” with was complimentary of the way the US plays as a team.

But more important, what’s truly caught the soccer world’s attention here, is how the Americans have played: not necessarily the results of their play, but the character of it. Their mistakes have been large, but they’ve recovered from them. When they might have given up — down against England, down against Slovenia, all but down and out against Algeria — they persevered. While other teams have suffered personality rifts or even outright mutiny, there hasn’t been a whisper of discontent out of the U.S. camp. They’ve become the embodiment of optimism here, of the power of hope and belief.

So there is hope, because a true breakout win today against Ghana means the US can actually make a run as the US are on the “easy” side of the bracket. The winner of US/Ghana will play the winner of Uruguay/South Korea, both of which are winnable games for this US squad. A win in the quarterfinals would take the US to the semifinals to most likely pair up with Brazil or the Netherlands. And then? Well, I am getting ahead of myself. First Ghana.

I have a feeling of hope and optimism that the US will actually put together a full game today, and not get behind early on a defensive lapse. If the US can continue to attack and actually land something in the net I think we will advance 1-nil, nay, maybe 2-1.

This is it! Go USA! USA! Let’s cheer for our boys and the Red, White, and Blue!

I have been trying to collect my thoughts on this one for the past couple of hours, and other than saying we were completely screwed by the ref, I am not sure what else to post.

The funny thing about such a poor call was all the other poor calls. We actually drew a yellow card after a ball hits Findley in the face?

Robbie Findley got a yellow card in the 40th minute for a hand ball in Slovenia’s penalty area, an automatic suspension for the Algeria match because he also was cautioned against England.

I would love to see the replay again because I saw a face-plant, not a handball. I don’t think it is a horrible thing that Findley will not be around for the next match because he just does not have the experience to know WTF to do with a quality ball.

There were other poor calls, but ultimately the U.S. put itself in a poor position going down 2-nil at the half. The first goal was completely unmarked; nice riffle shot which froze Howard. The second was typical of a U.S. defensive lapse on a counter attack.

As poor as Team U.S.A. played in the first half, they were great in the second half. Loved the emotion and the attacking style of play. Hope they come out for more of that against Algeria next Wednesday, a game I am sure to miss due to a work assignment in Scotland. Oh well.

So it goes. The U.S. is still in the hunt, but has to hope for some sort of miracle. I think the U.S. can advance with a U.S. win over Algeria and two England wins (Algeria and Slovenia).

Go U.S.A. !!!

Well, the defense let us down again in the early going, but all was made right with the world when Dempsey squeaked one into the net in the 40th minute.

Sure it did not exactly happen that way, but one of my favorite sayings that I learned from my dad applies. Sometimes I would rather be lucky than good.

A draw is a great result for Team USA, and it was well earned, improving our chances to advance.

Going forward I think it is imperative to pull out Ricardo Clark, and get Herculez Gomez into the mix at some point. I am not even sure what we can do different on defense, but thank God Onyewu is fit.

Go USA!

Here we go. The schedule is set – Team USA takes on England today at 2PM EST. All hope is not lost if we cannot beat England; in fact, I would be thrilled if we salvaged a point. I think Slovenia is a must win, with Algeria being the critical game to determine if the U.S. advances out of Group C.

Today was an overall good showing for Team U.S.A. with a 3-1 victory over Australia. I agree with most of the points in this SI article.

I am scared about our defense; too sporadic for my taste. If Australia could have finished some of their chances, it could have been a different game. I am excited about our possibilities up front. Buddle was fantastic and Gómez has been fantastic.

Cannot wait until next Saturday when we take on England!